From a Valentine sleigh ride to luggage that weighs itself

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Celebrate love all winter long with the Valentine Special package at the Farm by the River B & B and Stables.

January 20, 2013

VALENTINE SLEIGH RIDE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

Celebrate love all winter long with the Valentine Special package at the Farm by the River B & B and Stables (through March 20). Stay in an 18th-century farmhouse on 40 acres with panoramic views of the White Mountains. The two-night package includes a 45-minute private Victorian horse-drawn sleigh ride, box of chocolates, bottle of champagne or sparkling cider, fireside breakfast, afternoon refreshments, and complimentary snowshoeing. Located in the heart of the Mount Washington Valley, two miles from downtown North Conway. From $375. Weekends in February, holidays, and holiday weeks add $20. 888-414-8353, farmbytheriver.com

ACOUSTIC MUSIC RETREAT IN GROTON

Calling all musicians: WUMB, Boston’s folk and acoustic music radio station, hosts its first
Summer Acoustic Music Week (SAMW) Winter Weekend, Feb. 15-17, at Grotonwood in

Groton. Hands-on
sessions include guitar, banjo, mandolin, dulcimer, singer-songwriter, and more. Activities include classes and concerts plus guided and freestyle jams with players and teachers, including Lui Collins, Susie Burke, David Surrette, Lorraine and Bennett Hammond, and John Doerschuk. Lodging and six meals are included, though guests must bring their own bedding. Full weekend $375, members $350. 617-287-6915, www.wumb.org

KAYAK ROLLING CLINICS IN MASS.

It might be snowing outside, but Zoar Outdoors gets you into the water with six indoor kayak clinics. Designed for novice to intermediate paddlers, C-1ers, and OC-1ers, classes cover the execution of basic skills such as strokes, leans, and braces. American Canoe Association certified instructors also teach the basics of rolling a kayak, from hip snaps to paddle motions to a full-blown Eskimo roll. Experienced rollers work on improving technique, flipping without setting up, learning an offside roll, hand roll, and other variations. Zoar supplies boats, paddles, life jackets, helmets, and wet suits, but you may bring your own. Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield, Feb. 2, 9, 16, Hockomock Area YMCA
in Franklin, April 6, 13, 20. 6-8 p.m. $80. 800-532-7483,

It’s a boat! It’s a hot tub! No, it’s the HotTug, quite possibly the first wood-fired hot tub boat in the world. Book a night at one of four waterside lodges at Werf Ijlst and travel the lakes and waterways of Friesland, in the northern Netherlands, in this wood and fiberglass boat. Accommodating six to eight people, the HotTug fills with hot water (100 degrees Fahrenheit) in less than five minutes. Don’t like to soak and float? Use one of the four-passenger aluminum inboard electric motor scows moored outside each accommodation. Two-story lodges sleep 2-4 guests. From $237, without boat $171. 011-31-0-517-414-410, www.werfijlst.nl

CYCLING CAMP IN CALIFORNIA

Serious about cycling? Sign up for Trek Travel’s Solvang Ride Camp and start building base miles for your cycling or race season. Located in the Santa Ynez Valley, just north of Santa Barbara, the camp offers guided and self-guided rides developed for the independent cyclist. Each trip includes the use of a high-end Trek bicycle, accommodations, most meals, snacks and drinks for each day’s ride, daily route support, and more. Price based on double occupancy. Offered February though May, and in November. Solo travelers paired with same-gender roommate. Four days $899, seven days $1,299. Worldwide vacations for recreational and family cyclists are also available.

If you get anxious about airline weight limits when packing your suitcase, worry no more. Delsey’s new Helium Superlite Spinners have a built-in indicator that determines if your bag is over 50 pounds. This lightweight, soft-side luggage line also features four multidirectional spinner wheels that roll with zero weight on arms while assuring maneuverability and stability. The recessed, extra-long trolley handle is made of aircraft grade aluminum, and can be locked in one of two positions for use with either two or four wheels. Available at most department stores and specialty luggage shops, $85-$189.